Term
| Methods of acquiring knowledge |
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Definition
| The variety of ways in which a person can know things or discover answers to questions. |
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| A method of acquiring knowledge in which information is accepted as true because it has always been believed or because superstition supports it. |
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| A method of acquiring knowledge in which information is accepted on the basis of a hunch or a "gut feeling." |
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| A method of acquiring knowledge in which a person relies on information or answers from an expert in the subject area. |
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| A variant on the method of authority in which people have unquestioning trust in the authority figure and, therefore, accept information from the authority without doubt or challenge. |
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| Rational method (rationalism) |
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Definition
| A method of acquiring knowledge that involves seeking answers by the use of logical reasoning. |
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| Sentences used in logical reasoning that describe facts or assumptions. |
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| In the rational method, a set of premise statements that are logically combined to yield a conclusion. |
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| Empirical method (empiricism) |
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Definition
| A method of acquiring knowledge in which observation and direct sensory experience are used to obtain knowledge. |
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Term
| Induction (inductive reasoning) |
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Definition
| The use of a relatively small set of specific observations as that basis for forming a general statement about a larger set of possible observations. |
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| Characteristics or conditions that change or have different values for different individuals. |
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| A statement that provides a tentative description or explanation for the relationship between variables. |
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| A specific, testable prediction derived from a hypothesis. A research hypothesis always refers to a specific situation or event that can be directly observed. |
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| Deduction (deductive reasoning) |
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Definition
| The use of a general statement as the basis for reaching a conclusion about specific examples. |
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Term
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Definition
| A method of acquiring knowledge that uses observations to develop a hypothesis, then uses the hypothesis to make logical predictions that can be empirically tested by making additional, systematic observations. Typically, new observations lead to a new hypothesis, and the cycle continues. |
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Definition
| A hypothesis for which all of the variables, events, and individuals are real and can be defined and observed. |
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| A hypothesis that can be demonstrated to be false. That is, the hypothesis allows the possibility that the outcome will differ from the prediction. |
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| Humans who take part in a research study. |
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| Non-humans who take part in a research study. |
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| A set of ideas based on non-scientific theory, faith, and belief. |
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Definition
| Repetition of a research study with the same basic procedures used in the original study. It is intended to test the validity of the original study. |
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